A/N: Ohmigod! I leave for my trip back home to California in 8 days to have my scoliosis repaired. I'm hauling ass to get this bad boy finished since I won't have access to a working computer. But anyway! We have reached the bottom of our uphill battle, our conflict! It's gonna get hairy! And bloody :3 Thanks Duckies, read and review please!
NOTICE: THIS STORY HAS OC CHARACTERS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT ANY OF THEM LOOK LIKE, PLEASE CHECK THE LINKS ON MY PROFILE FOR YOUR VISUAL AID.
"Hehe, I'll see you soon. Take care of Mom, Nika. I'll bring you something special if you're good." The idea of getting another present from the surface made his little girl clap her small hands. Leo grabbed her with a playful growl and smothered her face in his kisses until she squealed and giggled.
"Safe, Daddy." Said the little one as Leo joined his brothers and hybrids to leave. He looked back to his little family snuggling on the couch.
"Yeah. Stay safe, sweetie." And away they went into the sewers, leaving them behind. When the door closed, Leo hesitated for a moment before continuing on his way. "Be careful, Babe.."
The night at home was quiet but eventful as Splinter had rested his daughter's head into his lap, affectionately stroking her hair and ears to bring some comfort in her time of illness. He felt helpless when she would run off into the bathroom and lock the door so Aanika couldn't come in while she was getting sick. Her recent powerful illness troubled him deeply and he often pondered it while in the midst of his daily meditating, trying to understand what could be making the vixen so sick so suddenly. Shiho didn't mind the attention, though. Spending time with Splinter was one of her favorite things to do. His presence was calming and tranquil and he always had many wise things to say. He was the father that she never had, that she was denied growing up. Shiho loved Splinter, and it was easy to say that he loved her dearly in return.
The aged rat coursed over the velvet ears while he and Shiho watched Aanika act out a scene from one of her favorite movies that she was currently watching; Rio. She was dancing and singing lyrics from the party and samba scene, loudly proclaiming that she was Jewel. Shiho and Splinter chuckled as the little one shook her little butt as if she had tail feathers and danced in circles and made a beeline around the ottoman while on screen the two blue parrots were getting ready to kiss before their party was ruined.
"Ah nuts! They stopped the dance Mama!" She cried, looking at Shiho and pointing at the screen. The nauseous vixen giggled.
"Who did, Baby?"
"THE MONKEYS!" Splinter belted out a laugh at his grandchild's panic as she rushed in front of the television and plopped onto her large pillow on her belly. He glanced down when Shiho grimaced with a soft groan.
"How are you feeling, my daughter?"
"Not much better, Pop. I just can't shake this feeling."
The wise, old rat hummed to himself and twitched his whiskers inquisitively. He had a hunch but he was unsure if he should voice his take on the strange illness. She'd gotten sick so suddenly and so violently, he'd never seen anything like it in his sons growing up. But then again, he raised turtles. Not female fox hybrids.
"Thanks for staying with me, Pop. I know you'd rather be meditating in peace instead of watching Rio with me and Shortstack. It means a lot to me that you're here."
Splinter chuckled softly and shortly. "Do not worry, young one. You are family, it is my duty to see that you are feeling like yourself again. Besides, she amuses me with her outbursts and dances."
The fox giggled and nuzzled into his lap. "Thanks. I love ya, Pop."
"And I love you too, daughter. Very much. Hm? What is the matter?" Shiho's ears twitched open as she sat up and glanced at the lair entrance. A confused and suspicious look came across her beautiful face as she stood and uneasily made her way over.
"Mama?"
"Stay with JiiJii. It's a little early for the boys to be home isn't it?" She said and opened the door.
"Hehehe...hello Shiho Baby.."
Shiho let loose a blood-curdling scream and ran. "LEONARDO!"
The nightly patrol just wasn't the same without Shiho running along the rooftops at Leo's side, he felt unguarded and strange when he looked and she wasn't there. But he had to focus on his objective and keep an eye out on the streets below for any trouble. Behind him, his team could sense his hesitation and they all voiced for a break. Leo wasn't up for arguing and agreed to rest on a rooftop down the street from the new World Trade Center building. It wasn't done yet but it still reached to the heavens with its beauty, Shiho had been adamant about watching its progress for the last two years.
This was Shiho's favorite place to rest when they weren't on hers and Leo's rooftop. When it was closed, the pair would sneak into the 9/11 memorial center to pay their respects and take in the vast and breathtaking beauty of the enormous fountains in the footprints of the Twin Towers. Shiho often said she felt a sense of melancholy and sadness when she was there; for the 2300 some odd people who perished there so many years ago. But she felt comforted that she was at least able to visit and commend the victims for their bravery by touching the hundreds of names that were engraved along the rim of the fountains.
Leo couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he'd been having since he left his mate and child alone with Splinter. Normally, he wouldn't be this paranoid but with her as sick as she's been lately he wasn't sure how well she'd be able to defend herself if something went wrong. Deep in his chest, anxiety boiled hot. His palms prickling with sweat and his throat was tight.
In his head he kept hearing his mate's voice calling to him. But not calling to him just to get his attention no…her voice was screaming. Screaming in agony and fear, causing his heart to thunder painfully under his plastron. He couldn't understand why he was hearing her, why he was hearing so much pain in her voice. He didn't hear Splinter and he didn't hear Aanika. Only Shiho.
'Leo!...Leo!...Where are you Leonardo!' In his soul he could feel her delicate hand reaching out to him, grasping and trying to grab him. Like she was being dragged away from him. Even in his mind, he could see her beautiful face, etched with anguish and pain. Why was he seeing her like this? What did it mean?
"Helloooo, Earth to Leo? You there, dude?" Mikey said, waving his hand in front of his stoic brother's face.
"Huh?" Leo blinked.
"Dude! Come back to us, you've been like a thousand miles away all night."
"Yeah, Leo. What's the matter with ya? Ya ain't getting' sick too, are ya?" Raph said. His mate and her sister were leaning their arms on the cement wall of the roof, gazing at the glass tower as the lights of the city danced and reflected off its smooth surface.
"I'm fine. I'm just worried. I've never left her alone before…" His brothers nodded in understanding and each gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I can't get over this weird feeling, like something bad is about to happen."
"Well, ya did hear Karai. Marcus amped up her little boyfriend into some Madness mutant. That and he isn't using the Foot to come after us, he's using Micah. But the Arizona desert? What could that nutbag be doin' all the way out there?"
"I dunno, Raph. But it doesn't settle nicely with me. And don't call him Shiho's boyfriend. You know that ticks me off. She's my girl," Leo snapped, Raph held up his hands in surrender. He was still hearing that anguished scream in his ears as it echoed endlessly, tormenting him.
"She'll be okay, Leo. Splinter is with her, he may be old but the little guy can still hand out a good punch," Donnie said, pulling out his beeping Shell Cell. Leo looked away at his sisters and sighed. Fiona was the first to turn around with her ears erect and a look on her face that he'd never seen before.
"What?" Leo said, approaching her and settling his hands on her shoulders. Now Saundra had the same look. "What is it?"
Fiona whimpered. "Shiho…"
Leo's blood turned to ice and his heart nearly stopped. Donnie hastily tugged on his arm.
"We gotta go. Distress signal coming from Shiho's Shell Cell but I can't hear her. Just a bunch of sounds."
"Let's go!" Leo barked.
Leo didn't waste any time and took off before the others straight towards home. He knew something was up, he shouldn't have left her alone. He should have stayed home. So many things he should have done and he didn't. Leo just prayed that by the time he walked into that lair that Shiho would be asleep on the couch and Aanika would be in Splinter's lap. He prayed with all of his might that his little family would be waiting for him.
But Leo knew better.
Leonardo sprinted as fast as he possibly could through the sewers that led to the lair. His legs burned and his lungs pricked with needles as he ignored his personal pain and kept running, still hearing the deafening sounds of Shiho's screams in his head. He didn't know what he was going to find when he finally reached the lair, but he could tell that something was definitely out of place and that Shiho was in danger. His brothers and sisters kept up with him as best as they could but when your mate is in trouble…when your child is in trouble, you forget about everything around you and gain tunnel vision.
"Leo stop!" Donnie screamed at his brother. Leo screeched to a halt just outside of the lair's entrance. The steel door looked like it had been peeled open by a can opener and then broken off its hinges. The boys readied their weapons and the girls stayed behind their respective mates. Leo nearly collapsed when he approached the door.
From the doorframe to the center of the lair was blood splatter. All around the room was blood splatter and smears, the furniture was turned over and sparks flew out of a few severed wires. On the staircase, Splinter lay crumpled and groaning. Leo dropped his swords and rushed to his father with his family in tow. The old rat's robe was torn by what looked to be claws, missing fur where someone had taken swipes at him.
"Master Splinter! What happened?!" Leo cried with his father in his arms. Putting a paw to his sore snout and gently giving it a rub, Splinter's eyes met his sons and daughters.
"He has come, my sons and daughters. The one you call Micah. He has Shiho and Aanika. She fought to defend us, but was overpowered…" Leo swallowed hard as Donnie took over to tend to Splinter's injures. Leo stood and looked around the room where on the floor was an enormous puddle of smeared blood, hand prints and swipes rubbing the substance all over. Like someone had been struggling and pawing at the ground to get away. The red substance bubbled and was eating through the floor which told Leo exactly who it belonged to; Shiho.
Her bloody, smeared handprints on the floors, walls, and some of the furniture tormented his mind as he fell to his knees beside the largest blood stain. What had Shiho gone through in his absence? His brothers and sisters looked up from Splinter to see Leo reaching forward into the acidic pool, not caring that it scalded his fingers. He grabbed something and held it in his hand, the pain from the acidic blood burning his hand was real enough. But the pain of breaking his promise to Shiho was agonizing. He'd lost her again and he promised her he wouldn't…
In Leo's hand was the glinting shard of his katana that he'd given her back in the beginning. She'd lost it in her battle. Grasping the shard that Shiho had kept so treasured in his palm, Leo let his arms drop and his head fall back as he belted out a violent, deplorable, and agonizing scream. Collectively, the family fell into sorrowful silence, Splinter feeling his son's pain. The sound echoed throughout the entire lair, ringing in everyone's ears, telling them just how much pain he was in.
Leo slammed his left fist into the floor. "Aanika!" And he slammed the other with a grunt. "Shiho…"
Once again, Leo felt defeated. Now he understood what it was that he was seeing and hearing. Shiho had found the connection of their minds and souls and was crying out to him, Leo had never been so angry with himself as he began to sob. Out of the brothers, Raphael was the one to jump up and bring Leo into his arms. No one had ever seen the leader cry with such an intensity, such anguish. It physically hurt them all to see him the way he was.
"Damn it! Damn it! I shouldn't have left her!" He wailed, his arms grapsing Raphael tightly around the neck as they both went to their knees. "Shiho, oh God..my Shiho!"
Raphael put a comforting hand on the back of his brother's neck. "Easy, bro. I got ya…" Leo's fists pressed against Raph's plastron and tightened as his shoulders shook and his cries caused his voice to roughen and go hoarse. His normally beautiful, golden amber eyes were red rimmed and pouring over the brim, his mask soaking around the rims.
On the stairs, the sisters clutched each other tightly and leaned foreheads together as they quietly wept together. Despite the awful fights and feuds that went on between Shiho and Saundra, they were still sisters and the only family each other had outside of the brothers. Saundra had never experienced such a lonely, defeated feeling before. Her anger and her pain all mixed into one furious ball and it was all directed at Micah and Marcus. Raph was right that night when he'd been talking to Shiho, that if anything were to happen to her that Saundra would fall to pieces. And she was.
Splinter struggled to stand and reached out to his weeping son and offered his arms as a place of comfort and safety. Leo, like a child, crumpled against the only father he ever knew and buried his face into the master's warm fur. Backing up until he was sitting on the stairs, Splinter held his anguished son in silence. There was nothing more painful for a parent to witness than their children suffering in pain and being helpless to put out the fire. Leo's world was crumbling around him. Shiho could have been dead, the blood all over the lair was daunting.
Please be okay...please be alive. Please...Please! I need you, Shiho. I need you. Don't leave me.. Leo called inside his head in the hopes that Shiho could hear him where she was.
"That's it." Raph said at last after Leo's body wracking sobs calmed. The family looked to Raphael for guidance in their leader's weakened state. "We're gettin' in that chopper and we're goin' to Arizona to get our sister and our niece. And when we get there, we gonna show that Marcus and Micah what it really means to mess with the Hamato's."
Raphael smacked his fist into his palm with a growl. No one took his family and got away with it. No one hurt Leo to the very core and lived to tell the tale. No. Raphael was done with this song and dance and he was putting an end to it now. Leo looked up to his brother from his father's tear stained robe and fur with a pleading look on his face.
"Don't worry, Leo. We're gonna go save your woman, but you're comin' with us."
"But-"
"That's your girl he's got! And your baby girl. You gonna just stand there and let him have them?" Leo opened his mouth and closed it. He shook his head, he'd die if anything happened to his girls. "Now let's get movin' so we can kick some evil scientist ass."
Splinter grumbled at his son's choice of language but all in all agreed. His injuries were mere scratches to the blows that Shiho took for him while defending him from a maddened Micah. Donnie used his bo to pull himself up and stand beside Raphael, Michelangelo was next. The three brothers looked at the two trembling hybrids on the stairs with beckoning expressions. Saundra placed her hand on Fiona's cheek and Fiona did the same as they took a moment to gather themselves.
Saundra stood. "We're in. Leo, come on, let's go get your girl and kid."
"But we don't know where to start…How are we even going to find her, we can't scour the entire state of Arizona."
Donnie chuckled. "I thought about that when she was taken the first time, Leo. I expanded the tracking perimeter on Shiho's chip in her leg. We could track her all the way to Japan now if we wanted to."
Looking to his sensei for answers, the rat nodded with a smile on his aged muzzle. Leo nodded firmly and wiped his face with the back of his wrist.
"I guess Bishop came in handy after all didn't he?" His brothers chuckled and nodded. Leo stood and swallowed his fears. "Alright, let's get planning. Donnie. I want to see the surveillance video of the lair when it was breeched to see what we're up against. Raphael,"
The red masked brother stood tall at the mention of his name, his leader was back. That alone made him smile. "Yeah?"
"You and Mikey get the supplies we need and load them into the chopper. The girls will help you," The brothers and hybrids nodded and took off upstairs to start their duties. "And Master?"
"Yes, my son?"
"I need you to stay with April and Casey. In case anyone comes back looking for us. You'll be safe there." The old rat tapped his cane and nodded his head. He was in no shape to fly off to save the fox and child, he was too old and too injured for those things. Those days were over for Splinter.
"Excellent plan. Leonardo?" Leo froze as he was about to follow Donnie into his lab, giving his father his full attention.
"Do not lose hope, my son. If you stay strong and true to yourself, and trust in your brothers and sisters, all will fall into place and your beloved and child will be safely returned."
"Yes, Father." Leo leaned down and wrapped his arms around Splinter. "Thank you…"
Shiho awoke to a blinding headache, blinking her sore eyes in the bright, unforgiving light that was pointed at her. She hurt all over, even her tail ached which she never knew was possible. Her cheek burned with a deep scratch, someone had taken a sucker swipe at her face. Shiho ventured she had cracked her ribs again, the throbbing ache in her sides told her so. Bruises decorated her arms, she just looked like hell.
The fox couldn't remember much, but snippets here and there of Micah storming the door with what had to be twenty or thirty ninjas behind him. Ninjas…Karai! She remembered seeing Karai. But…she'd been giving them information from the beginning about Marcus and Micah…
"She lied…that bitch…" Shiho muttered as she tried to move. Her wrists were bound under steel loops, her ankles in the same predicament. She was upright on an experimentation table, she knew this flat, cold surface anywhere. She spent countless days of her life strapped by her wrists, ankles, and her belly to one of these damned tables. Instantly, a sense of dread and panic overcame her. Her heart pounding wildly and out of control under her breastbone.
"Aanika?...Aanika!" She cried. Her calls were answered by a whimper to her left. Shiho's entire soul shattered when her eyes landed on her sweet Aanika back in those chains that had taken her words away from her. Desperately, the child pulled against her shackles and reached out towards Shiho.
"Mama! I'm scared!" Those two words tore Shiho to pieces. It was her job to keep Aanika safe, and now, here she was back in some laboratory with those menacing chains holding her in place. The only door in the blank room opened and in it's frame stood the outlined figure of the man who tormented her for the longest 23 years.
"My, my you've been such a naughty girl, Shiho. Did you really think you could hide from me forever? Playing 'House' with those freaks?" Shiho growled and spat in his direction as he approached her. A syringe held up in his hand as he came closer. The beautiful violet irises shrank to the size of pins in a panic as she did her best to thrash and break free. "Ah-ah! Just going to grab some blood and see just how naughty you have been. Looking a little pudgy, my dear. What have you been up to?"
The cruel smile on Marcus' face mocked Shiho, the jingling of Aanika's chain only angering her that much more. Shiho was helpless and wailed when he stuck her in the protruding vein of her left arm and withdrew a full syringe of the hot, burning blood. Behind him, Magdalena giggled and took the sample from her creator, sticking her tongue out at her host. Shiho glared menacingly at her clone and shrieked when Marcus pulled her shirt up her belly, he hadn't bothered to put her in that awful medical gown.
"What are you doing?! Get your filthy hands off of me!" She writhed as Marcus examined his creation's slightly bloated abdomen. His dark brows twitched in fascination as he snapped his fingers for Maggie to pay attention.
"Yes, Daddy?"
"Make the call down to medical for them to wheel one of the ultrasound monitors up here. I think we have a baker on our hands," Shiho's blood ran cold in her boiling veins. Her tiny irises darting down to her tanned belly where Marcus was pressing with his fingers. He was right, she looked like she'd put some weight on. But…what did he mean?
"Baker? You don't mean…that's not possible…" Shiho's tiny voice was just above a hoarse whisper, her throat sore and parched. She was dying for a glass of water. Magdalena kneeled in front of the smaller fox and flicked her hard between the eyes to make her cry. "Leave her alone, Maggie! Or I swear I'll—"
"Or you'll what? Glare at me? Ooooh I'm so scared. Please, Shiho. You can't protect her anymore than you can protect yourself," Magdalena said, her hands perched on her hips. Suddenly her eyes bugged open and a grin spread across her pink lips. "OH! Did you see Micah?! Amazing isn't he? He's like you, only now he's consumed by The Madness. All the time!"
Shiho's glare turned to Marcus with a snarl. He would not stop touching her and it was making her sick…or maybe she was still feeling sick from earlier. "What was Karai doing with Micah?! She said she turned you down."
"Haha, is that what she said? My goodness, that girl really needs to stop lying. Now, stop moving. I have to look at what abomination is growing inside you." Marcus said as the door was opened and a machine with a small screen on top was wheeled inside. He lifted her cotton shirt back up and squeezed cold gel onto her pelvis making her flinch. Shiho tried to wiggle as he pressed a wand to her belly after flipping on the machine and screen. She couldn't stand how calm and collected this man acted around her.
That wand pressed heavily into her lower tummy, making the nausea consume her and her head swim. But Marcus didn't even look at her, his gaze was glued to that screen as grey moving images flashed across it.
"Just as I thought. You've been such a bad girl, Shiho. Now look what you've done, you went and got pregnant."
Both hybrids were silent, host and clone. Shiho stared in disbelief at the ulstrasound image. It wasn't big or very far along, but there was a fetus on that screen. Despite the situation she was in, Shiho felt tears coming to pool at the bottom of her eyes and spilling over her cheeks. All this time, she had sworn it wasn't even possible to conceive. But it looked like nature had other plans.
Marcus sighed. "Oh now this is just ridiculous. There are two of them in there," Shiho gasped and bit her lip to contain her sob. She wished Leo was here, no…she wished she was home with her mate and family for something like this. They weren't even trying to get pregnant. Time slowed down and Shiho missed Leo so much she couldn't breathe. "I might be able to use this to my advantage. Maggie, what's the status on the turtles?"
"Oh! Radar has them approaching. Should be here within the next hour, Daddy. So like…she's going to have mutant babies?" Shiho didn't hear either of them talking, she was focused instead on the image on the screen and trying to sense the two little lives inside of her. Leo was going to flip. Her sisters, too. Now that they knew it was possible, who was to stop her or the others from having more?
Oh. Marcus.
"We'll cut 'em out of her when he gets here if he doesn't cooperate." Shiho came in at the last part of their conversation and panic seeped right back into her heart.
"What?! No, Marcus! You've taken enough from me, you are not taking my babies!" Shiho fussed and pulled as hard as she could against the steel rungs but was getting nowhere but exhausted. She had to fight. For Aanika who was cowering in the corner. For her unborn children. For herself. For Leo.
"Oh please, Shiho. Who's to say you'll even make it full term. Now, Maggie, out. We have guests to greet," Marcus smiled in that way that made the vixen's skin crawl and coil into goose bumps, his cold blue eyes boring into her very soul. It looked like he was looking through her skin into her occupied womb, staring in disgust at her beatiful babies inside her. He sent her over the edge when he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Get away from me!" She screamed and snapped at him. Marcus chuckled and made a silent exit, shutting and locking the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, the rungs on the table and the shackles around Aanika opened. Shiho crumpled to the floor in her weakened state as Aanika ran to her.
"Oh my baby. Are you hurt?" Shiho examined her little fox's arms and legs, checking her head and everywhere else for injuries. She found none, thankfully and crushed her against her bosom in a tight embrace. Moving into the corner, Shiho held her little fox and buried her face in her hair.
"I'm scared Mama. Want Daddy."
"I know, Baby. He's coming for us. Okay?" Shiho looked at her child in the face and fought to stay composed. Aanika's bright blue eyes were dimmed and red from tears. Her sweet face tear streaked and terrified. Shiho calmed her quivering lip by smoothing her hair and kissing her forehead tenderly. "Daddy's coming."
Right she was. Leo and his brothers and sisters were screaming through the air as fast as the helicopter would go straight for the signal that Donnie was receiving on his tracking device. Leo's ambition held him together for his strength and bravery was close to gone, he was terrified that he wasn't going to get there in time. Shiho called out for him with her soul, crying and reaching out in desperation. Marcus had gone much too far this time, Karai was now on his hit list, too. After watching the security footage from the lair, Leo discovered they'd all been betrayed.
Now, his mate and his child were in danger because he'd been too trusting. He was always trying to see the glimmer of light inside Karai's soul that no one else could, now he was understanding why. Because there was no good in her anymore. All that resided inside Karai was vengeance. She was willing to go to whatever lengths to destroy Leonardo and his brothers for what they did to her father. But she'd crossed the line involving his daughter, now Leo was out for blood. He wasn't going to stop until that bitch was run through to the hilt of his katanas.
"Hurry Leo…" Shiho whispered as Aanika curled up against her, trying to become as small as she possibly could. In the safety of her mother's arms, the little fox gave in to her exhaustion and succumbed to sleep. Shiho prayed the nightmares would leave her alone.
Absentmindedly, Shiho slipped her hand underneath Aanika and rubbed her belly. She couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed the little bump, it all made sense now as to why she'd been so ill the last few days. Her body was changing to meet the needs of her little growing embryos. Focusing her energy, she could feel them there; she could feel their presence, their life. Shiho's cheeks were slick with tears. What if she didn't get the chance to hold her little ones? What if Leo never got the chance to know?
"Come to me, Leo. I need you. Aanika needs you…Your babies need you,"
Leo's eyes snapped open. He'd heard Shiho again, heard her calling out to him with her soul. His hands trembled and his lips quivered. Donnie took notice in the change in Leo and signaled for Raphael to come and help since he was piloting. The red masked ninja moved forward in the cabin and crouched beside his leader. His expression was etched with shock and disbelief but he said nothing.
"Leo? Leo what's the matter?" The sisters and Mikey gathered.
"It's Shiho. I can hear her…she's okay. Aanika is okay."
The family breathed a sigh of relief, all except for Donnie and Raphael.
"It sounds like there's a 'but' in that statement, Leo. What else did you hear?" Donnie said, keeping the steering steady.
"Shiho's pregnant."
A/N: WHAT WHAT! That's right, I went there. I have no shame either! :D That's right, I got my fox preggers, don't judge me. Hahaha, I'm still working on how I want my knight in shining armor to storm the castle. Gettin' there though. Hang in there!